One generation shall commend your works to another

Reflections to Cultivate Joy for Your Journey

Life need not be easy to be joyful. Joy is not the absence of trouble but the presence of Christ. – William Van der Hoven

The surest mark of a Christian is not faith, or even love, but joy. – Sam Shoemaker

When I think upon my God, my heart is so full of joy that the notes dance and leap from my pen; and since God has given me a cheerful heart, it will be pardoned me that I serve Him with a cheerful spirit. – Franz Joseph Haydn

Solid joys and lasting treasure none but Zion’s children know. – John Newton

No one can live without delight, and that is why a man deprived of spiritual joy goes over to carnal pleasure. – St. Thomas Aquinas

A common but futile strategy for achieving joy is trying to eliminate things that hurt: Get rid of pain by numbing the nerve ends, get rid of insecurity by eliminating risks, get rid of disappointment by depersonalizing your relationships. And then try to lighten the boredom of such a life by trying to buy joy with material things. – Eugene Peterson

Winners of souls are first weepers for souls. So our prayer should be: Let me look on the crowd as my Savior did, till my eyes with tears grow dim. Let me view with pity the wandering sheep and love them for love of Him.